Court Lays Out the Next Steps for Marriage Equality in Australia (VIDEO)

The last few weeks have been quite a roller coaster for Australian couples.

12/16/2013 07:21 pm ETUpdated
Feb 02, 2016

The last few weeks have been quite a roller coaster for Australian couples.

First the Australian Capital Territory passed a marriage equality bill, then the federal government challenged it, then couples started getting married, then a court overturned the bill and left all those couples effectively unmarried.

But there's a silver lining to the ruling: At least now the path forward is becoming clearer. The court ruled that the federal government is the only entity that can pass a marriage equality bill. That means that organizers can now step up their pressure on federal elected officials.

England, meanwhile, is already just a few months away from the start of marriage equality. Weddings are scheduled to start there on March 29.

And the United States continues to lag behind, with some states slowly processing lawsuits. A case in Texas is inching toward a hearing in February, and a judge in Arkansas is currently deciding whether to advance or dismiss a case against that state's ban.